Linen decor for your summer

Leading home stores in India are announcing their linen designs for the summer season.

As a kid, I remember a time when my mother decided to raid all the markets for one piece table linen "done in checks".

There were plenty of options available back then, but she would casually discard one piece after another and moan, "not my kind of checks". After hours and hours of search, my mother finally found her check table linen that lay perfectly for the innumerable dinners that she hosted.

While my mother scouted innumerable shops to get the right table linen, thankfully, home stores today are flooded with an amazing variety. If one had to shop for high-end home linen till a few years ago, then the good ol' Cottage Emporium would have been the safest bet.

"Today," says Anita Kathpalia, head of business, home, Fab India, "the market for home linen is booming and there is a huge demand for it with customers demanding high quality and design." Interestingly, Fab India expanded from fabrics into the home linen mart and supplies a sizeable variety in its 35 stores all over the country.

Almost all leading home stores dealing in high-end linen are ready with their summer collection and offering home linen that is in sync with the fashion trends.

"Trends in design for home linen in India are almost at par with international trends," says Neelima Rao, brand manager, Maspar, a home linen retail and export house. "For home linen, the design trends are in tune with fashion trends, but modified to homes," she adds.

While cotton and silk remain equally popular materials for home linen, silks have taken a backseat due to surging temperatures and "it's cotton and organza that people are picking up for the summer", according to Sonia Lall of

Tarini, a well-known store that supplies a range of home linen. While most home linen stores cater to a range of readymade bedspreads, duvets, cushion covers, tablecloths, mats, napkins, runners and aprons, some stores cater to made-to-order segments too.

And with a majority of Indian homes decking up in a mix of traditional and contemporary tones, stores have designs and patterns in a host of colours, textures and sizes to suit most homes. "We do encourage a lot of mix and match," confirms Manika Mahajan, manager-Delhi of Zeba.

So what trends do we see this summer? The colour tones are certainly bright and cool and do away with sequins, heavy embroidery and embellishments. "At Zeba, we are doing textured, pleated and crushed fabrics," says Mahajan.

Zeba's cushion covers in silk start at a price range of Rs 250 and can even go up to Rs 6,000 for a single piece. At Tarini, "screen prints and floral designs are working fabulously", as Lall informs us, and an exclusive range of double bed spreads for the summer season start at Rs 4,000.

As far as Fab India is concerned, it launches one main collection every year with minor changes in design and colour for the summer.

This summer, customers are picking up a lot of linen in both bright and muted colours in Fab India. True to its concept, Maspar has also brought out a range of contemporary designs in bright colous as well as pastel shades.

But it is not just the designs and colours that are gaining prominence this summer season. A majority of home linen stores are experimenting with textures, weaves and prints.

Fab India, for instance, is promoting work by local artisans and bringing out contemporary and affordable presentations in Maheshwari and Chanderi materials.

"We are using these materials in our table linen range. We are even using textured fabrics for designs and prints," says Kathpalia.

While Fab India is showcasing work by the artisans, at Zeba, fashion designer Krishna Mehta has brought out cushion covers that range from Rs 1,350 per piece.

With a plethora of textures and designs for every conceivable home linen product, the summer season for home linen will certainly be overflowing.